Mr Vaikunta, the former Star MD brought in by Mr Mullin, was sacked last February and left Australia amid sexual harassment claims.

Mr Redmond is a former regulator of casinos in Las Vegas who later served as a casino financial executive.

He told The Daily Telegraph this week he had seen pretty much everything in a business that contains "every vice known to man".

One of his best stories involves him being king-hit by a Mafia thug while working for the Nevada Gaming and Control Board in the mid-1980s.

"There was a particular audit that we were involved with ... on the Stardust ... they were basically controlled by the Mob," he said.

"I went to work one day and was in the (audit) room. I was hit over the head going in there by presumably someone that was involved. They were trying to get into our audit bags. Being a bean-counter, you're not a boxer, so you're not used to taking a blow over the head but you struggle up. I just went in and finished up the day. I had a headache."

Then there was the time he was called upon as an observer when a man walked into a casino with two suitcases.

"One had $1 million in it and the other one was empty. He walked up and wanted to place a bet on the dice table.

"The gentleman ended up winning. He filled up one suitcase with the million he had, filled up the other one, and he walked out the building. This happened a couple more times. The second time he lost and the third time he came in he won again.

"They found him dead in a hotel room ... he committed suicide over a homosexual love affair. It's terrible but these are the stories that give Vegas that attraction: the notoriety of the crazy things that happen."Mr Redmond has pledged to raise the tone of The Star.

He is so straight he won't even let his staff open the gym at The Star for him early, arguing this would look like special treatment. Instead, he arrives at 6.01am to train as soon as the doors open.

The Star's bad blood with Mr O'Farrell stems from his being enveloped in the Vaikunta scandal when the Premier's sacked communications director, Peter Grimshaw, was caught running a vendetta.

Mr Redmond, recruited to Echo's board by former chairman John Story will try to repair the relationship.

"The things of the past are exactly that. (Echo chairman) John (O'Neill) and I draw a line in the sand. A new year and new opportunity.

"There may have been things \ that tainted those opportunities ... it's my responsibility to make sure there's no reason like that (in future)."Mr Redmond was coy on the Packer proposal but said Sydney needed proper debate on whether there should be a second casino.

He has met James Packer once, years ago.

He said everyone in Las Vegas knew who James's father, Kerry, was because he was such a big gambler.Of his own ties to the gambling industry, Mr Redmond said: "I'm a very conservative individual. I like to have fun, like anyone else, but you're in an industry where every vice known to man is thrown in front of people and some people succumb to that and others don't.

"I've been doing this a long time, since age 21.

"I'm 54 and I think the track record is indicative of what will happen (at The Star) going forward.

"Any inappropriate activity, is not, will not and has not been, tolerated. You set that tone yourself.

"People understand that about us.

"We always have fun but you don't cross the line. You don't even toe the line."